Learning from others: who NOT to listen to

Learning new stuff is an ever ongoing process if you want to keep improving yourself. Only ways to find out is by hearing from others, or figuring out things for yourself.

Problem with hearing from others is; finding someone who actually knows what they are talking about (instead of assuming/pretending to know) is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

So here are some pointers to help you get accurate information:

'Best' someone who talks about best class, best build, or claims to be the best ...? Plug your ears and walk away. There's no such thing as best; only what is best FOR YOU or for a specific purpose.

'Useless' people who tell you stats, classes or skills are useless seriously don't get that every option serves a purpose. Think about what is useful/useless TO YOU, but don't underestimate it. Especially MEN is an under appreciated stat for example.

Double check always check new info with another source. I try to make sure that the stuff I post on the forums is accurate, but my understanding/explanation could be flawed. Experiment yourself or ask someone you deem knowledgeable & accurate.

Stat build: lots of people will tell you how to build. "Yeah go 100 STR, 40 DEX, and the rest VIT." Not the way to decide on your own build. First, read up on what each stat does, and what those stats do for your class in specific (passive boosted by DEX for example). Once you've done that, start asking around what builds people have to get an idea what most others do.

GM/sub: any idiot can become a GM (I tested this firsthand), and a GM/sub is in no way better than you. Don't look up to people because of their title; we're all people playing from our little screen.

High level/gear: If a player has a high level, that doesn't mean he actually knows his stuff. It only means you spent a lot of time playing the game. Strong gear can simply be bought with gold or gems (the latter using real $). Don't mistake power for knowledge.

Newbies: Newbies can pick up on things fast, or perhaps have a fresh look at things. Don't ignore what they have to say; you can learn a lot more from them than you may think.

Players who want to be right: There are plenty of players who will explain stuff to you, which ends up to be rubbish. They just want the glory of being the 'helper,' instead of actually focusing on the help itself. It's often the same type of player who isn't open to the possibility that he/she is wrong.

Assumptions, urban legends & common knowledge: Assume whatever you think is wrong till you are proven right. Be open to suggestions & theories that aren't in line with your thoughts. Also, don't simply do what everyone says. Find out why everyone says it. For example, 40 DEX is generally advised. There's also an urban legend that adding DEX beyond that point actually lowers your crit rate (which is false). Last but not least, don't follow the rest of the sheep; common knowledge isn't always accurate.

Experiment yourself: If you test/experiment yourself, you got the info firsthand. If done correctly, this is the most accurate source of information. Be sure to think of all confounding variables during tests, and be open to feedback from others.

Personal note; builds: I don't ever listen to people telling me how to build my character. I listen to some advice from people that I deem knowledgeable and accurate, and maybe look at their builds. The actual build however, is mine to decide on. Every player has his/her own play style, so see what suits your needs. If you are having trouble deciding on your build, it could help to think about what purpose you want your character to serve, and base your build on that. Don't just look at the damage you do per hit; being strong is more than simply hitting hard.

I've experienced a case of someone outright trying to cram down my throat that my build should be int/men only. But I like my build, it lets me play how I want to play and it was built based on actual advice (not criticism as I experienced) from people I deemed knowledgable. I can totally agree with this post.

Finally! Gave me some hope in humanity. I've encounter those. I even put int on a ranger when I first started since most mmo have all rangers as magic at some point. But I was wrong learned it the hard way I got stats everywhere when I first made my char to see how each stat works. I see people laugh at me for having the stupidest builds ever but I'm proud of them cause I can make them all work. It's all trial and Error. That's why it's called "role playing game" you choose your own role and playstyle.

Thanks for the support & feedback everyone!@Chromal & @Innosan I know exactly what you mean; I can't keep count of how many times I've been told to go full STR/INT. I actually restatted my Mage from full hybrid (yes I wasted points on STR, came into this game with Final Fantasy as my RPG experience) to nearly full INT, and I regret it. I've also spent the first half year of play thinking MDEF was useless till I started wondering why it would be.

Oh boy wish I could give a Winner, Like and Agree rating to GJO's post. This post brings back old memories of starting over from lvl 70 4-5 times , experimenting a load to get the right build for myself and... getting my rear end kicked a million times in PVP just to get the right build which... I still occasionally do... but yeah nothing better then firsthand experience from messing up a load , learning from your mistakes and learning what others have done to correct similar mistakes and firsthand experimentation to check if the corrections or knowledge you gained works for you.

Yep, strength comes from the process of discovering and overcoming your own weaknesses/mistakes.

Oh boy wish I could give a Winner, Like and Agree rating to GJO's post. This post brings back old memories of starting over from lvl 70 4-5 times , experimenting a load to get the right build for myself and... getting my rear end kicked a million times in PVP just to get the right build which... I still occasionally do... but yeah nothing better then firsthand experience from messing up a load , learning from your mistakes and learning what others have done to correct similar mistakes and firsthand experimentation to check if the corrections or knowledge you gained works for you.

Yep, strength comes from the process of discovering and overcoming your own weaknesses/mistakes.

Another great thread @GJO! I often consider the forum's rating system when deciding "who not to listen to". Many people have 500+ "positive ratings", but most will post thousands and thousands of times to get there.

@GJO has more positive ratings(508 atm) than actual posts(433 atm) and that is the sign of a great contributor.

@Xiansai wowy that would've made it a lot easier o,o... making clones of yourself like Naruto Uzumaki to speed up the process of experimenting with things xD =d. Though sucks I used up all my character slots...so there went the awesome idea for making clones to test things x3x xD =)

@urdadi Eh... that would make a lot of notable members blabbermouths xD xD lol xD but seems like there's a lot more to why some notable members in the forum have more posts then... positive good ratings from posting up helpful game mechanic information. In the forums there's also questioning other's post about the info. posted....opposing opinions about info... selling/trading thread posts...guild recruiting thread posts...etc. so not surprised how many people post a load... but don't get a lot of positive ratings.

And seems like a person who has more positive ratings than posts could also have positive ratings for other reasons other then contributing helpful info. about game mechanics/suggestions.

But yeah I'd keep an ear out for all posters. Some posters talk a lot xD xD eh... enough to doze off a bit reading it o3o" but within some of those posts may contain interesting questions and interesting/helpful ideas that some may not even bother reading, overlook, take notice of or rate xD =d.

But anyway I gotta agree that GJO makes a lot of interesting posts xD .

Wow.. I keep rating these posts..
Cannot disagree with the fact that GJO's posts are really something! :3
It's like Xiansai's counterpart? Or something like that but not about events and quests, but information tips and such~! (b ^3^)b

There are just awesome Forumers on here!! :3
Even past members who have done their jobs right!! (/ ^o^)/

Wow great post. Exactly what happened to me today. Random person saw my lvl. And suggested u go pure int on my aco. Said also he's so experienced been playing forever- I'd like to just go my own way with FACTS please.

Wow great post. Exactly what happened to me today. Random person saw my lvl. And suggested u go pure int on my aco. Said also he's so experienced been playing forever- I'd like to just go my own way with FACTS please.

Wow great post. Exactly what happened to me today. Random person saw my lvl. And suggested u go pure int on my aco. Said also he's so experienced been playing forever- I'd like to just go my own way with FACTS please.